Bible Point: I will forgive others.
Bible Verse: Matthew 18:21-22
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
Materials
Balloons
Straws, cut into 4 inch lengths
Four chairs
String
Clear tape
Needle
Preparation
Set up the race by placing two chairs side by side. Tie a six foot piece of string to the back of each chair. Set up two more chairs approximately six feet across from the original chairs.
Presentation
Choose two teams of three children each. One child on each team needs to be able to blow up a balloon. Explain that you are going to have a race to see whose balloon can reach the finish line first. Ask each team to blow up their balloons and twist the end. Have the other two people on the team thread the straw through the string that is attached to the chair and tape the straw to the balloon. Take the free end of the string and tie it to the finish line chairs. Ask each team to pull their balloon as close to the starting chairs as possible. When given the signal, they may release the balloons. If time permits, pick new teams and repeat.
When children have finished, talk with them about anger. Hold a balloon in your hand and conceal a needle. Have children tell you things that make them angry. Each time the children mention something, blow into the balloon. Explain that these things really make you angry too, and sometimes you do not want to forgive the people who do these things to you. When the balloon is very big, pop it with the needle hidden in your hand. Just like the balloon was destroyed when it got too full of air, we can destroy our lives when we are full of anger. When we refuse to forgive others, we actually hurt ourselves, and God cannot use us. Instead, God wants us to forgive those who hurt us. Blow up the balloon again, but this time set it up as you did in the race and let the air out. When we let the air out of the balloon, it wasn’t destroyed and can be used again. Forgiveness allows us to remain intact and be used by God!
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